Memphis Zoo

Gina is too old to be a first time Mother. Both she & her unborn calf need our prayers.

Memphis Zoo says elephant pregnant

Gina, one of the Memphis Zoo's three female African elephants, is expected to deliver a calf next summer.

She was artificially inseminated in October 2010 and is more than halfway through her 22-month pregnancy.

"I don't know why we kept it quiet," said Chuck Brady, zoo president and CEO. "It's a long pregnancy. You don't want to announce something and then she slips the pregnancy. I think now's a good time because she's halfway there and the chances of her losing the pregnancy are much diminished."

“Zoo officials became concerned last week when ultrasounds showed lack of fetal movement. Ultrasound expert Dr. Shannon McGee and Zoo veterinarians conducted an in-depth ultrasound Sunday and confirmed that there was no heartbeat. The cause of the calf’s death is unknown at this time.”

For the safety of the mother, the Zoo will not attempt to remove the fetus.

“It is our hope that in the coming months, Gina will naturally pass the calf,” said Dr. Felicia Knightly, Memphis Zoo Senior Veterinarian. “However, it is possible that she could retain the calf for an extended period of time. It is also possible her body could reabsorb the fetus. We will monitor her closely during this time.”

At least four elephants in U.S. zoos died after the in utero deaths of their calves, some due to massive infection: Babe at the Ft. Worth Zoo, Ibala at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Tika at Six Flags-Vallejo, and Ruby at the Phoenix Zoo.

Since 2000, at least 25 elephant pregnancies have ended in stillbirth or other complications, including death of calf during labor, euthanasia of premature calf, failure to thrive, death of mother, and infanticide. The infant mortality rate for elephants in U.S. zoos (ages 0-1) is four times higher than that of documented free-ranging populations in Africa and Asia.

"Wise says even if the elephants have adequate food and veterinary care, this doesn’t change the fact that they’ve been stripped of their autonomy." .Steven M Wise, Nonhuman Rights Project

Engaging with Elephants: The Ultimate Undergrad Research Experience - See more at:

I had always heard the zookeepers describe the elephants as having different personalities, but until I made my own observations, I didn’t realize how complex the elephants and their social interactions were. Tyranza is the oldest of the three, in her late 40s, and the matriarch of their “pseudo-herd.” (“Pseudo” because the elephants are not related as they would be in the wild.) She is very laid back, but as the matriarch she keeps order over the exhibit. The next oldest elephant is Gina at 30 years old, and she was pregnant at the time of the study. The best word I can use to describe Gina is moody; she was usually the one responsible for the disorder that Tyranza occasionally had to subdue. The youngest is Asali at 28, and she is probably my favorite of all three. She seems rather naïve and easily amused, so she added some entertainment to my hours of data collection

It was not an easy project to initiate. Filming required the approval of the Memphis Zoological Society, the nonprofit organization that manages the Memphis Zoo. Although the quality of the zoo experience has improved almost exponentially in recent years, for animals and visitors alike, zoo management initially was "rightfully suspicious," Larson said, pointing out that some camera-carrying animal activists oppose the very idea of zoos, and that some films — notably the Sea World documentary "Blackfish" — have generated antagonism against the idea of captive animals.

One of the observation stations was located in front of the elephant yard because, according to historical information, during the last full solar eclipse, elephants in various locations trumpeted, or made loud vocalizations. While that did not happen at Memphis Zoo, some new behavior was noticed.

“We saw some subtle changes to Asali’s behavior,” said Amanda Schweighart, elephant manager. “She’s the youngest of our herd, and she went into an 'alert' stance, that lasted several seconds. Once she reunited herself with her two herd mates, her behavior returned to normal.”